Commissioner & Staff Info

The composition of LAFCO Commissions varies from county to county. Riverside’s Commission consists of members who represent all levels of local government. These are: two County supervisors selected by the Board of Supervisors; two city council representatives selected by the City Selection Committee within Riverside County; two special district board members selected by the Special District Selection Committee, one public member selected by the other members of the Commission. For each category of commissioner represented (county, city special district, and public) there is one alternate. Alternate members may attend LAFCO meetings but only vote on items when a regular member from their category is absent. Each Commission member serves a four-year term.

Bio:
Phil Williams has been on the Board of the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District since 2001 where he has served as Board President. He also serves or has served on the District’s Engineering and Operations, Legislation, Conservation & Outreach and Finance and Administration Committees.

Phil currently serves on Boards of the Lake Elsinore and San Jacinto Watersheds Authority, San Jacinto River Watershed Council, Association of California Water Agencies. He has held the seat of Special District Member on the Riverside Local Agency Formation Commission since 2003.

Phil, born and raised in Lake Elsinore, is a fourth generation real estate broker with 23 years of experience in property sales in the Lake Elsinore and surrounding areas. He is also a licensed General Building Contractor since 1984. Phil’s achievements include building Riverside County’s first all steel framed house in Canyon Lake and Lake Elsinore’s first indoor inline hockey rink.

Phil has been a California Licensed Real Estate Broker since 1986. He has owned Lake Elsinore’s largest privately held Escrow Company with 12 employees conducting as many as 1000 escrow transaction per year. In 2010 he had the single largest commission on record for Century 21 Premier.

Bio:
Stephen Tomanelli is the Owner-Operator of Computer Care which was established in 1986. Computer Care is a Sole Proprietorship Company specializing in computer sales and service. He served in the United States Navy from 1969-1973.

His public service includes:
Director, High Valleys Water District
1994-2003
Served as Treasurer, Vice-President and President
Developed to serve the residents of the Twin Pines and Poppet Flats community, High Valleys Water District is a Special Government Water District that receives its funding from its customers, as well as, County Assessments. Having no natural water resource, High Valleys Water District pumps the water purchased from the City of Banning, 8 miles up the mountain through 3 separate booster stations, into 3 storage tanks and 40 miles of pipe, to deliver this resource to its approximately 225 customers.

California Association of Local Agency Formation Commissions (CALAFCO) Elected to the Board in 2012 and served until 2015 holding the positions of Treasurer, Secretary and Vice-Chair.

Treasurer, Board Member Renu Hope Foundation Renu Hope Foundation was founded 14 years ago by first acquiring a small preschool program of 17 children at one location and now has grown to serve children at ten locations throughout Riverside County. Renu Hope Foundation is a 501(c) (3), nonprofit entity governed by the Board of Directors who represent local, state and national government and businesses who share a common interest in providing much needed child care and education services in the communities of Riverside County. Renu Hope Foundation provides child care and education services to children ages 6 weeks to 12 years of age whose families meet the eligibility criteria.

Bio:
Kevin Jeffries was elected in November 2012 to represent the residents of the 1st Supervisorial District, which includes about two-thirds of the City of Riverside, as well as Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, and Canyon Lake, and unincorporated communities such as Temescal Valley, Mead Valley, Lake Mathews, Good Hope, Lakeland Village, DeLuz, LaCresta, and Tenaja.

A resident of Riverside County since 1971, Kevin is a successful local small business owner and served 29 years as a volunteer firefighter and six years in the State Assembly.

Kevin and his wife Christina have two adult children, and reside in Lakeland Village near Lake Elsinore.

Bio:
John Tavaglione was elected to represent the Second Supervisorial District on November 7, 1994, and was sworn into office on January 3, 1995. The Second District includes the unincorporated communities of Coronita, El Cerrito, Home Gardens and Highgrove, and the cities of Corona, Eastvale, Norco, Jurupa Valley and the western half of the City of Riverside, excluding the La Sierra Area.

John was the Chairman of the Board in 2017 this was his 6th time during his tenure. In 2017, he was also the Chairman of the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC). In February 2002, he was appointed by State Supreme Court Chief Justice, Ronald George, to the 19 member State of California Probation Services Task Force. He also serving as a member of Riverside County's Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO). He previously served on LAFCO from 2000 to 2011. In January of 2002, John was appointed to the Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP), the State of California’s 2nd largest public health plan serving Medi-Cal, Healthy Kids, and the Medicare Advantage Special Needs populations in the Riverside/San Bernardino County Region. John is also a member of the Riverside Transit Agency (RTA) Board of Directors, and of the Riverside Conservation Agency (RCA). Until completion of their mission in 2010, Supervisor Tavaglione was proud to sit as a member of the Court Facilities Dispute Resolution Committee (CFDRC), whose charge was to settle transfer disputes as part of the statewide process of shifting courthouse ownership from counties to the State of California. Supervisor Tavaglione has been a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) for the past 20 years, and was elected by California's 58 counties in 2010-2011 to serve as President of the Association, where he worked closely with Governor Jerry Brown and his administration in negotiating Public Safety and Health/Human Services Realignment.

John is a fourth generation resident of Riverside County and has dedicated much of his life to improving the Inland Empire Region. Prior to his election to the Board of Supervisors, he served on the Riverside City Council and was a member of the Riverside Public Utilities Commission. His professional career spanned nearly 25 years as a commercial real estate executive. John received his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from California Baptist University. He is a proud U.S. Army Veteran (’68-’70)

As a member of the Board of Supervisors, John has been credited for his leadership in regional transportation issues, community and economic development, parks and open space preservation, and for his strong fiscal and organizational management. Supervisor Tavaglione is dedicated to improving the economic and social future for the residents of Riverside County and the Inland Empire Region.

As an advocate for youth, John is a strong supporter of collaborative programs that provide educational and growth opportunities for the County's youth population. Supervisor Tavaglione is a Board Member of Greater Riverside Dollars for Scholars and past President of the Southern California Dollars for Scholars Governing Board. John and his wife Jan have helped to send hundreds of students to college, by hosting an annual fundraiser where all proceeds go towards scholarships for graduating high school seniors in his district.

John and Jan have two children, Heidi and Chris, a daughter-in-law, Jennifer, granddaughters, Madelon Rose and Grace, and grandson William Christopher. John and Jan reside in Riverside with their dogs Rosie and Ralphie. His hobbies are woodworking and singing/performing with his 60’s classic rock group, The Legendary Mustangs, and most enjoys babysitting and spending time with his grandchildren.

Bio:
Eugene Montanez was elected to his first term on the Corona City Council in 2002, served as Mayor in 2007, 2011 and 2015. He currently serves on the Infrastructure Committee and also represents the City as a member of: Western Riverside Council of Governments (WRCOG), the Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority (RCA), Riverside County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), Tri-Tunnel Express Committee, and the Santa Ana River Trail project. Prior to being elected to the Council, Mr. Montanez served eight years as a Corona Planning Commissioner.

Mr. Montanez moved to Corona with his family in 1964, attending local schools and graduating from Corona High School. He and Paula, his wife of over 38 years, own and operate a successful printing business. Mr. Montanez has served as President of the Southern California Chapter and on the National Board of his printing association.

Mr. Montanez is an active member of the Corona community. He takes great pride in serving on the board of directors for the Fender Center, and as a former board member of the Corona Chamber of Commerce and Corona-Norco United Way. He is also a founding member of the Parks and Recreation Foundation and a past president of the Corona Rotary Club. Mr. Montanez was honored for his community service in 1998 as the Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen of the Year and the Corona Chamber of Commerce honored both Eugene and Paula in 2002 as its Citizens of the Year.

Bio:
At the age of 19, Steve enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as an Infantryman. He served 8 years (1996-2004) with deployments in Asia and a combat tour during the ground invasion in Iraq (2003). His time with the Marines taught him about team-work, detailed planning and looking at the big picture to achieve the goal. And as they say, “Once a Marine, always a Marine.” He’s a patriot, loves his country, and his community; service above self is something he truly believes in.

Currently, Steve is a businessman. His post military career has taken him from the telecommunication industry; a district director for a state legislator; a salesperson for a radio station group and a billboard company. He is now as a successful commercial real estate agent focusing on apartment buildings and income properties.

Steve is a current and past board member for many local non-profits. After overcoming different adversities in his life, and through the help of his family and friends, He spends a majority of his time reaching out and helping others. He is the Past-Chairman for the Indio Chamber of Commerce, a past-board member for the La Quinta Chamber of Commerce, a former Big Brother with the Big Brother and Big Sisters of the Desert, as well as a current board member for the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of the Desert, Leadership Coachella Valley, Young Scholars Association, and a volunteer for numerous local charities. Steve was appointed to the Riverside Local Agency Formation Commission as the Regular City Member in May, 2018.

Steve is passionate about fitness and living a healthy lifestyle. If you’re up at 4am in La Quinta, you can usually see Steve out running to start his day. He travels to compete in half marathons around the country. La Quinta offers a variety of terrains for him to train on any day of the week. He is also an animal lover and being a parent to several dogs has taught him many things about love and compassion.

Steve is fascinated by the history of Ancient Rome, Greece, England, and the American Revolution; while also having a soft spot for mathematics. He has a love for spoken word, and has tried to learn as many languages as possible. In his youth, he studied French and Arabic and is currently learning Russian. Steve believes language is a fascinating thing to study, and it has taught him a lot about focusing, attention to detail and the ability to communicate the right words at the right time.

Bio:
Nancy Wright has served on the Riverside County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), holding the Eastern Riverside County Special Districts seat, since 2012. She previously served as the alternate Commissioner. Nancy has been a Board Member of the Mission Springs Water District (MSWD) since 1988. She represents MSWD on the CVAG, Energy & Environmental Resources Committee and the Coachella Valley Conservation Commission. Nancy is a founding member of the Desert Hot Springs Groundwater Guardians and served on the National, Groundwater Foundation Board from 2003-2011, and she served on the Salton Sea Advisory committee to the California Natural Resources Secretary. Since 2000, Nancy has been appointed by three California Governors to the Colorado River Basin Regional Water Quality Control Board, where she serves as Chair.

She has co-owned, with her husband Pete, their General Contracting Company, since 1977. Nancy has been active in community service since 1985 and a member of the Desert Hot Springs Women’s Club since 1987. From 1968 to 1972 she attended California State University, Long Beach, majoring in Health Science. Nancy moved to Desert Hot Springs in 1973 where she met and married her husband in 1974 and they raised their two children.

Jim Love has been a managing officer of Beaumont Electric Inc. (BEI) since its inception. Jim is the founder and visionary for BEI and has always been on the forefront of securing future projects for the company. His knowledge of the electrical trade has been the driving force for the company’s growth in various fields of electrical construction, including cellular phone sites, wastewater treatment plants, large school sites, sports and street lighting and hospitals. He authored and continues to consult the City of Beaumont’s outdoor lighting ordinance. Jim’s knowledge of electrical systems and value engineering continues to propel the company forward. Jim has served as Alternate Public Member on the Riverside Local Agency Formation Commission since 2009.

Bio:
As a father of three, Randon Lane and his wife, Bridget, moved to Murrieta in hopes of finding the perfect place to raise their children. In Murrieta, they found a tight-knit community that shared their values of traditional family, education and faith. After receiving his college degree, Randon went to work in private industry, working at Fortune 500 companies such as Telecommunications, Inc., Media-One, AT&T Broadband, Nextel and Sprint. After finding great professional success, Randon became interested to work in the public sector. Beginning in 2006, he served as the Field Representative for California State Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries, gaining valuable experience in constituent services. During this tenure, Randon also volunteered on the Planning Commission, which witnessed one of the greatest population explosions that has been realized by a city, an increase of almost 70%. While the population soared, Randon was a strong advocate of maintaining the necessary public infrastructure to ensure Murrieta could grow responsibly. Randon has been an Alternate City Member on the Riverside Local Agency Formation Commission since 2014.

Bio:
Bob Stockton was appointed to the Riverside Local Agency Formation Commission as the Alternate Special District Member in August, 2016. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Western Municipal Water District representing Division 1, which includes a portion of the city of Riverside located north of Highway 91, extending to the San Bernardino County line.

Mr. Stockton serves on the joint committee of Western and the city of Riverside. Serving as the alternate for Western’s Engineering, Operations and Water Resources Committee.

Actively involved in his community, Director Stockton is the 2015 Chairman of the Board for the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce. He has also served on the Riverside Public Utilities Board as well as the Path of Life Ministries Board, the Riverside YWCA Board and the California Baptist University School of Engineering Advisory Committee.

Director Stockton has also served as a planning commissioner for the city of Riverside and is a past chair of Leadership Riverside. Currently, he is the chair of the Monday Morning Group’s Environmental Committee.

In 2012, Gov. Brown appointed him to the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists. The 15-member board regulates the civil engineering, land surveying, geology and geophysics industries.

Mr. Stockton, a seasoned civil engineer, has more than 31 years of experience designing infrastructure projects. He currently is the principal-in-charge at Rick Engineering’s Riverside Office – a position which he’s held for the past 27 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Additionally, he is a registered civil engineer in California and Arizona and has his LEED accreditation.

Bio:
George Spiliotis joined the Riverside LAFCO as Executive Officer in December 1989. He oversees the day to day operations of the Commission. In addition to administrative and fiscal duties, George is responsible for supervision of a small team of analytical and support staff. In this capacity, he has provided the Commission with staff analysis on a wide range of proposals, including incorporations, complex reorganization proposals, district formations and dissolutions, etc. George has been a presenter at numerous sessions at various conferences, including CALAFCO, ACWA and CSDA. He has also served on the CALAFCO Legislative Committee for several years.

Prior to coming to LAFCO, George was as a Research Analyst in the Orange County Administrative Office where he was responsible for fiscal analyses related to large-scale development proposals and incorporations. While in Orange County, George also sat on the County Subdivision Committee.

Name:
Crystal Craig

Position:
Local Government Analyst III

Bio:
Crystal Craig has served as a Local Government Analyst for Riverside LAFCO since 2002. Her principal duties include processing reorganizations, annexations, consolidation studie...

Bio:
Crystal Craig has served as a Local Government Analyst for Riverside LAFCO since 2002. Her principal duties include processing reorganizations, annexations, consolidation studies, technical boundary clean-ups, incorporations, MSRs and SOI studies.

Crystal works on graphics/maps, website, identifies and mapping of Disadvantaged Unincorporated Communities (DUCs) throughout Riverside County. Crystal has developed DUC policies for the Commission as well as internal policies and procedures for staff. She also works closely with the County Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Department on maintaining City & Special District layers. Crystal was also appointed as the Southern Region of California LAFCO’s GIS Coordinator for two years and has participated in panels at CALAFCO events.

Crystal holds a B.A. degree in Political Science and Administrative Studies from the University of California, Riverside and a certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Prior to LAFCO, her experiences were political internships with the California State Assembly and the White House.

Bio:
Elizabeth Valdez is the Commission Clerk, and has been with LAFCO since 2001. She performs a variety of administrative and financial duties, including clerking the monthly Commission meetings, the creation and maintenance of the Access proposal database, updating the Commission website and participating in the annual audit. Elizabeth has also participated in panels at CALAFCO workshops. Elizabeth earned her Associates degree in Computer Applications from Riverside Community College, and completed a certificate program for Computer Information Systems: Systems Development.

Bio:
Supervising Deputy County Counsel Tiffany North joined the Office of Riverside County Counsel in 2005 and currently serves as LAFCO’s legal counsel. In addition to her duties with LAFCO, Ms. North provides advisory and litigation services concerning planning, zoning, land division and the California Environmental Quality Act. Ms. North also serves as general counsel to the Riverside County Habitat Conservation Agency. Ms. North received her J.D. from the University of San Diego, School of Law. While in law school, Ms. North was awarded the PLI Award for Excellence in Oral Advocacy. She was also a member of the Appellate Moot Court Board. Ms. North received her B.A. in English from the University of California, Riverside and was on the Dean’s List. Ms. North is admitted to practice in all state courts and in the United States District Court for the Central and Southern Districts of California.